If you are wondering about the best course of action for your children because you are furloughed or your child attends a school on post -- the Child, Youth, & School Services program is offering day care that caters to parents' needs.

With the Army stepping up its efforts to combat sexual harassment, assault and violence within its ranks, Maneuver Center of Excellence Commanding General Maj. Gen. H. R. McMaster took time to share his views on how sexual offenses are affecting the Army and ways to prevent those offenses.

Students in the Maneuver Captains Career Course heard from one of the Army's top voices, July 1, 2013, as Gen. Dan Allyn, the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, spoke to the class about a variety of issues facing the Army today.

With hurricane season in full swing and summer heat often leading to other types of severe weather, members of the Fort Benning community can take solace in the fact they are part of a StormReady community.

Beginning Aug. 1, 2013, every Soldier who elects to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a family member will incur an additional four years in the Army, without regard to their time in service.

Lt. Gen. David Perkins, the commanding general of the U.S. Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., spoke to a group of students from the Maneuver Captains Career Course June 25 at Derby Auditorium as part of the Combat Leader Speaker Program.

Lt. Gen. Peter J. Devlin, the commander of the Canadian Army, visited Fort Benning June 26 and took the time to speak to students from the Maneuver Captains Career Course about the future of armed conflict, as well as the future of the partnership between the U.S. and Canadian armies.

In late June, 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee led the 75,000 man Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. The 95,000 man Federal Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, moved north to confront Lee's forces. On July 1, leading elements of the two armies met at Gettysburg, Pa., as much by accident as design.

A new Express store across from Patton Village on Sand Hill had its grand opening June 26 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 6,000-square foot, $4 million store gives Families located on Sand Hill a shorter distance to travel for quickly needed items.

Sledgehammer Soldiers assigned to B Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, assisted Warrior Outreach Inc. in the remodeling of Judy Hammack's home Thursday, in Fortson, Ga. Hammack is the widow of Army veteran William Hammack who passed away two years ago.

"For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker. -- James 2:10,11

Former Atlanta Braves first baseman Mike Bell did a role reversal Sunday and loaded his iPhone with pictures as he posed with numerous service members at Turner Field in Atlanta. Bell made his rounds in a reception area and greeted service members, and before they could ask whether a picture with him would be OK, he already had his phone out to have his photo taken with the Soldier.

This week we celebrate the Nation's 237th anniversary of Independence Day. On July 4 and over this weekend we will celebrate one of the proudest moments in our Nation's history -- our rightful claim to self rule and independence. Many of us associate this day with our Nation's freedom, strength, and prosperity. This day remains a beacon of freedom for the world to see and it symbolizes what other democratic societies attempt to emulate. It is a day we recall our country's proud heritage and the remarkable courage of our founders.

More than 100 Soldiers assigned to the 14th Combat Support Hospital were reunited with their Families June 19 during a welcome home ceremony at Freedom Hall after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Family Child Care provider Tempra Hannigan has been doing in-home child care for more than a year at Fort Benning. She became a FCC provider when she and her Family were stationed in Germany several years ago and there weren't a lot of job options for her there, she said.

5-15 drove the ball early and often -- gained a six-run lead and played consistent defense throughout Wednesday's game while getting some less experienced players some playing time late. It went on to defeat the Fort Benning Marine Corps Detachment 10-4 at Gowdy Field.

The athletes paraded through the Joint Base Lewis-McChord hangar all the way to the front where the I Corps commander greeted them. Months of hard work, training and determination brought them to where they all stand now: The opening ceremony of the 2013 Special Olympic Summer Games.

It's hot, it's been raining and the air is thick with mosquitoes and humidity. Just to make everyone feel better, summer officially started last Friday so we've got a full three months of this in front of us. For those who may not have experienced it, welcome to the South in June, July and August.

Key players in the Army's efforts to build a common structure to the Army's networks and Mission Command enabling systems led a panel discussion, June 18, 2013, to discuss the way ahead for modernization in an era of fiscal uncertainty.

Three Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit were recently named to USA Shooting's Paralympic National and Developmental teams during the USA Shooting National Rifle and Pistol Championships held at Fort Benning last week.

Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, military historian and author Rick Atkinson visited Marshall Auditorium Thursday to speak as part of the Combat Leader Speaker Program.
Atkinson has written six books, including his latest work, "The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945." The book is the final installment of Atkinson's "Liberation Trilogy," a narrative history of the U.S. military's role in the liberation of Europe in World War II.

Col. Michail S. Huerter assumed command of the Fort Benning garrison Friday from Col. Jeffrey Fletcher during a ceremony in front of McGinnis-Wickam Hall.
Huerter, a native of Topeka, Kan., began his career as an Infantryman at Fort Benning in 1990, and said he was proud to now call the Chattahoochee Valley home.

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Secretary of the Army John McHugh detailed a new directive June 11 that will make the Army the first military branch to require behavioral health screenings for those who counsel sexual assault victims.

"There's a saying that every Marine is a rifleman, so you're trained that no matter what gender, height or weight … every Marine is trained to go into combat."
However, the 20-year-old Green Bay, Wis., native said she never expected to become the only female Marine in her unit. As an administrative specialist for the USMC Detachment on Fort Benning, Cpl. Jessica Manning works and lives among more than 350 male counterparts.

Representatives of Hiring Our Heroes, a nationwide initiative to help transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses find employment, visited the U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquarters to discuss how the organization could improve access to its online resources.

Fort Benning is offering Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training to those interested. It is an eight-hour, two-day workshop that trains people, especially caregivers, on how to deal with a person who is contemplating suicide.

Are you new to the tricommunity? Haven't had time to check out some of the offerings in the area? I love the downtown area and Saturday I went to both Market Days on Broadway and the Phenix City Amphitheater.